Xc Mountain Bike Vs Gravel Bike

This video is my final one in the series of hardtail vs gravel bike.

Xc mountain bike vs gravel bike. I also like the idea of the gravel ride scene that. Full suspension bikes can be used as well but could add weight and price and would need to offer the ability to lock out the rear suspension to avoid energy loss in flat areas. A typical gravel bike will have longer chainstays a longer wheelbase a slacker head tube angle a slacker seat tube angle and a lower bottom bracket than a typical cyclocross bike. The largest gravel tires available are still narrower than most mountain bike tires.

In fact just how capable is an xc 29er compared to a gravel bike and. Bike selection a hardtail 29er is going to be the closest to a gravel bike while also offering the benefits of a true mountain bike. A hardtail offers more trail feedback but may get overwhelmed in rougher terrain. The modern gravel bike steals bits from all of these designs and technologies.

A xc bike may be a hardtail meaning the rear tire has no suspension travel. The series focuses on comparing a hardtail mountain bike and a full suspension cross country mountain bike for that matter. We also talk about reasons why we choose a drop bar style gravel bike over a mountain bike for the rides and events we like to do. A hardtail channels all of the rider s pedal power into moving the rear wheel along.

Otoh if you are an old time roadie like me you tend to favor road bike tech and perhaps less challenging roads. So i am trying to decide between a gravel bike and a xc mtb. Efficiency is the name of the game for a hardtail. Mountain bike tires will have more weight and rolling resistance but offer better comfort and traction.

Differences between a gravel bike and mountain bike. Let s talk about the major differences between gravel bikes and mountain bikes so that you can understand which one is the best option for you geometry. I m not disappointed with this. Aren t gravel bikes just repurposed mountain bike technology.

If you come to gravel from a mountain bike background then you likely want to a ride a bike that favors mountain bike tech. Okay okay we admit it modern cross country mountain bikes might not actually be boring despite what we previously claimed. The shape is tall and has a slick design. In terms of design a gravel bike is similar to a road bike or a cycle cross bike.

Trying to decide my next bike. Where i live there s not a ton of mtb trails that are not over 1h drive but we do have gravel roads into the western sierras around sequoia national park or yosemite. The majority of xc mountain bikes are designed to fit tires in the range of 2 1 2 4 wide for reference 50mm gravel tires measure about 1 97.